It is a familiar sight by this point for Chicago-area residents, but it’s still a fascinating spectacle as railroad workers light fires along rails during periods of cold weather. Metra did just that on Friday morning, lighting up fires in the morning amid a prolonged period of cold weather in the area. These fires are lit to help fuel gas-powered heaters at different points along the tracks, especially near switches. Those heaters have to be manually lit, and they are dedicated to helping melt